The Giants Final Temptation: Chase a Win or Keep the First Pick?

With the New York Giants sitting at 2–11, they currently hold the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The final month of the season presents an unusual dilemma. It’s nearly the same as last season when Big Blue was standing at 3-14. The question at hand is: should fans want another win, or should the team prioritize securing the top draft position? It’s a familiar tension for struggling franchises, but this year feels especially high-stakes in New York. Nothing has gone right for them this season. 

On the field, the question is simple: can the Giants even grab another victory? Despite the record, there have been flashes of what the Giants can do. Jaxson Dart has shown resilience in his rookie campaign. Before Cam Skattebo went out for the season, the Giants were showing signs of having a well put-together team. They also have defensive cornerstones like Kayvon Thibodeaux and Dexter Lawrence, who, when healthy, still anchor a unit capable of creating havoc. However, injuries have ravaged the roster, and the offense is missing its biggest playmaker in Malik Nabers. The pieces are thin, but not nonexistent.

At 2–11, the Giants currently have the NFL’s weakest strength of schedule among the bottom teams, giving them the inside track for the first pick. One win could drop them from first to third as it did last season, if the Titans lose out. Two wins could push them out of the top three entirely, depending on how everyone plans to finish at the end of the season. It’s going to be tough for this team to pull off. They have a lot to look forward to in the draft, considering they aren't even in playoff contention at this point in the year. 

That shift in where the team was going is massive. If New York manages to lose the rest of their games, the first pick will give it the ability to either select a franchise-altering player or command a king’s ransom via trade-down. Dropping even one slot narrows those paths. Falling multiple spots dramatically changes the caliber of prospects available. They would be able to do anything they wanted to. This is definitely an area the Giants want to consider before deciding to play the rest of their games.